Here With Me
by arana-chan
Summary: When Tai takes a trip to America, Sora realize just how much he means to her.... (Taiora mainly, but some sub-romances as well)
1. Sora's Realization

It's been a long, long time since I looked into the mirror  
  
I guess that I was blind  
  
Now my reflection's getting clearer  
  
Now that you're gone, things will never be the same again  
  
Sora sighed as she looked out at the rain. It had been raining just like this on the day he left. Tai had told her he loved her. She should've been happy to know that her secret love just so happened to love her back. Instead, she had run from him. He'd left and gone to America to finish college as an exchange student after that day. She turned and looked into her mirror. Her reflection had been blurry lately. It was clear now.  
  
There's not a minute that goes by Every hour of every day  
  
You're such a part of me  
  
But I just pulled away  
  
Well, I'm not the same girl  
  
you used to know  
  
I wish I said the words I never showed  
  
Every minute of every hour of every day she thought of him. It was like a part of her was missing. "I wish I said the words I never showed. If I had, than Tai would probably be here right now," she mused. She was no longer the girl that Tai knew, the one he'd loved. His leaving had changed her for the worse.  
  
I know you had to go away  
  
I died just a little And I feel it now  
  
You're the one I need  
  
I believe that I would cry just a little  
  
Just to have you back now  
  
Here with me  
  
Here with me  
  
She'd been there when he left. She'd watched him board his flight. She'd died that day. She had shed all her tears, but she knew that she would cry one last time if it meant Tai would come back.  
  
You know that silence is loud When all you hear is your heart  
  
And I wanted so badly Just to be a part of Something strong and true  
  
But I was scared and left it all behind  
  
She knew that her relationship with Matt had crushed him. She and Matt had broken up that very day. She'd gone to the airport to tell Tai the good news, but it was too late.  
  
  
  
I know you had to go away  
  
I died just a little And I feel it now  
  
You're the one I need  
  
I believe that I would cry just a little  
  
Just to have you back now  
  
Here with me  
  
Here with me  
  
Sora chided herself. She had been stupid to date Matt in the first place. She knew that now. "What does Tai care? He left and deliberately broke my heart!" she snapped. But now she knew why he'd gone. He had not left to spite her, but to help her discover her true feelings.  
  
And I'm asking  
  
And I'm wanting you to come back to me  
  
Please?  
  
In her dreams, he was there. She would ask him to come back, but he would only shake his head and say, "Not now, Sora." He had no idea how much she wanted him back.  
  
I never will forget That look upon your face  
  
How you turned away And left without a trace  
  
But I understand that You did what you had to do  
  
And I thank you  
  
Sora would never forget the almost regretful look on Tai's face as he boarded the plane. He just left everything behind. She knew he'd done it for the better, and she thanked him for it.  
  
I know you had to go away  
  
I died just a little And I feel it now  
  
You're the one I need  
  
I believe that I would cry just a little  
  
Just to have you back now  
  
Here with me  
  
Here with me  
  
Sora rummaged around in a drawer, and got a piece of paper and wrote. Her letter was addressed to Tai Kamiya at UCLA.  
  
Dear Tai, I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that I loved you. I hope you can forgive me. Matt and I are no longer dating. That was why I'd went to the airport, to tell you. Hopefully, you'll write back. I can't stand the fact that you're gone. Kari's really mad at you for leaving, and blames it on me. I have therefore been shunned by the very person I once counted a friend. It's dull around here without you. Please come back soon. I can't stand it here! While Hotaru tries to cheer me up, my best friend has little time for me. I can't blame her. She's studying for her bar exam, and taking care of Masaio's kids while she and her husband are on their second honeymoon. Once she's a certified lawyer, she, Mimi, and I are going to open a law firm. Tomoe, Takenouchi, and Tachikawa, attorneys-at-law. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Wish I could stop thinking about you. Come back soon. I'm counting the days. Love, Sora PS- you won't believe this, but Hotaru's got a kid! She adopted her baby daughter Umi last month. She's so cute! Umi has light blue hair and blue eyes, and is 2 years old. Her dad died from a heart attack before she was born, and her mom died having her because there were complications, according to Dr. Joe Kido. 


	2. Tai's Response

"Hey, Tai! You have a letter from home!" Jake, Tai's roommate at UCLA, said as he walked into the dorm. He handed Tai the letter. It was from Sora. After he read it, he smiled. He would've written a reply sooner, but he had to get to class. All day he had been drafting his letter to Sora in his head. Now that he was free for the night, he could put his thoughts into words. He started writing his letter almost at the exact second he walked into his dorm room.  
  
Dear Sora, he wrote. Thanks for your letter. You have no idea how I felt when I found out your feelings for me. I was, I confess, somewhat happy to learn about your breakup with Matt. I just hope you weren't too hard on him, and that he didn't take it too bad. Tell Hotaru that I said congratulations on adopting Umi. She'll be a great mother. I think that law firm idea is great, by the way. The earliest I can come home is spring break. Tell Kari it wasn't your fault that I left. I needed to get out on my own, live my own life. Please write back soon, Sora. Ai tsune ni*, Tai  
  
When Tai's letter arrived, Sora found herself falling even more in love with him for some reason. They exchanged letter after letter. Sora's dream stopped coming, and she found it easier to sleep. "Spring break is in 2 months. You don't have to wait all that long to see Tai," Hotaru remarked to Sora one day. "I just wish it was sooner." "I know. I felt the same way when my boyfriend Yashi left to go to UCLA." "Is he coming to visit?" "Yeah. He's coming on the same flight Tai is, I think." Hotaru had to leave then because Umi needed to go home and eat. Day followed day. Sora tossed and turned in her sleep. She worried constantly. What if Tai's plane crashed? What if something came up and he couldn't come? Hotaru and Mimi did their best to help her, but they both figured that the best thing to help her nervous condition was seeing Tai. Even though Sora said that she was waiting for Tai, boys at her school kept asking her out. "She said she doesn't want to go out with you! How many times does she have to say it before it sinks into your thick skull?" Hotaru yelled at a boy who asked her out one time in January. Sora personally felt that her friend was jealous of all the attention Sora was getting. No one asked Hotaru out anymore. She was scary. It was common knowledge that she trained in all styles of martial arts, was a wrestler, a star athlete, a champion fencer, boxer, and was a little scary because of these strengths of hers. Besides, even if a guy did ask her out, Hotaru refused. She had a lot of studying to do in order to become a good lawyer, plus she had to spend her spare time watching her sister's kids, and taking care of Umi. Sometimes it was a wonder that Hotaru didn't collapse from exhaustion, or her hair didn't turn gray from all the stress. On Valentines Day, both got gifts from Tai and Yashi. Sora's gift, the one from Tai, was a heart shaped locket with a picture of them in it. Yashi's gift to Hotaru was a heart shaped box of assorted chocolates and a jade bracelet. "Wow! Yashi must make a lot of money to be able to buy such an expensive bracelet," Sora said. "Yashi has a job at a jewelry store. The owner gives Yashi this stuff to pay him. He doesn't want to get payed with money until we're married. He gets by on his own." The big day came. Tai had called Sora to let her know which flight he was on and when he was coming. "Hotaru's boyfriend's coming too. Just thought I'd let you know so you can tell her." "Yashi told her he was coming for spring break," Sora said. "I have to go. Masaio and her husband came back and picked up the twins yesterday. Hotaru's gone to some karaoke bar with Mimi, and I'm baby-sitting Umi," Sora said. She hung up, and went to put Umi to bed. A week later, on the first day of spring break, Sora and Hotaru were at the airport waiting for Tai and Yashi. When Yashi came off, he had a tall, thin, blonde girl with him. "Are you Yashi's girlfriend?" the blonde asked as she looked at Hotaru. "Ex-girlfriend, actually!" Hotaru said as she removed her jade bracelet and flung it in Yashi's face. She turned and walked away, tears streaming down her face. Sora walked over to her friend and put an arm around her. "It's okay, Hotaru," Sora said comfortingly. The two girls walked off. Tai came out of the terminal just in time to see them walking away. Tai looked at Yashi and the blonde girl. It all fell into place. Tai walked over to Yashi and punched him for hurting his friend. Then, he turned and started to follow Sora and Hotaru. "I may not be in love with Hotaru, but she's my friend, and I will not let anyone hurt my friends," Tai said to himself.  
  
  
  
*- Ai tsune ni is Japanese for love always 


	3. Hotaru and Matt in LOVE??

Here With Me 3  
  
Tai found Sora and Hotaru outside the airport, sitting on a bench. Hotaru had her face in her hands and she was sobbing. "It's okay, Hotaru," Sora said to her friend as she rubbed her back. "It's okay." "God oft times sends to good women evil boyfriends," Hotaru said. "How true," Tai said as he walked over. "Hi, Tai," Sora said, blushing as she spoke. Hotaru looked up and muttered, "Hi." "Hotaru's not herself right now. She found Yashi with some blonde girl," Sora explained. "I saw them. They were like that the whole flight here," Tai said. Hotaru grinned when she saw Tai, got up, and hugged her friend. "Now that you're back, maybe Sora will be herself again. She changed after you left," Hotaru told him. Sora looked at her watch. "We really should go now. We're supposed to be at Izzy's in 5 minutes," Sora said. They piled Tai's stuff and themselves into Hotaru's GMC Jimmy and drove to Izzy's, arriving just in time. "Well, here we are," Sora said happily as she entered the house. "Izzy works for Globotech Industries part-time," Hotaru said. "Does something with computers. Pays well, though," Sora added. Mika, Izzy's fiancée, greeted them and invited them in. She had moved in with him last month. Everyone was there, accompanied by their Digimon. Except for Bowmon, of course. She was at Hotaru's, helping the baby-sitter watch Umi. Matt and Mimi were sitting apart. They had started dating after Sora broke up with Matt, but Mimi had recently left Matt for Joe. Hotaru was the only one who didn't know about that. She'd been so preoccupied with her relationship with Yashi, and so busy taking care of her niece, nephew, and daughter that she didn't have time to catch up with the latest news of the others. She walked into the kitchen so she could be alone for a minute. "What's wrong with Hotaru?" Joe asked. "She found that sleaze bag, two-timing, no-good boyfriend of hers with someone else," Tai explained. "She broke up with him, of course. She's crushed, though." Matt got up and walked into the kitchen. "Hotaru?" Matt said quietly. "Yeah?" she responded. "I heard about you and Yashi," Matt said. Hotaru turned and looked at him. "If there's anything I can do, let me know." She smiled at him. "You're a true friend, you know that? That's why you've got the Crest of Friendship." Matt was a little uneasy at seeing the holder of the Crest of Strength crying like a 6-year-old, but he was happy to hear her compliment. He smiled at her. "Thanks, Hotaru." He stared at her for a moment, and then felt that he was looking at one of God's most beautiful creations. Where did that come from? Sure, she's pretty, but I never saw her close up. God, Hotaru, when did you become so beautiful? I don't know why I missed it. My guess is she was always this hot, but I was so busy chasing after Sora, then Mimi, that I never saw it, Matt thought. Hotaru smiled weakly. Why's my heart beating so fast? Stop it, Hotaru! You just dumped Yashi, and now you've got a crush on practically the first guy that came along! I wish I knew what this strange feeling I have is, Hotaru thought. "Hotaru?" "Yeah?" "Um, would you like to go out to dinner with me on Saturday?" "If I can find a baby-sitter for Umi." They talked for a while, about their plans for the future, their dreams, and their current lifestyle. Matt was still a musician, and Hotaru was trying to make it as a writer. The problem was that her works her missing something, so none of what she wrote was published. All her stories were about young, vulnerable girls being hurt in love, and followed by tragedy everywhere they went. To make ends meet, she was working part time at her family's diner, and working at Sora's flower shop on weekends. "Law school's been going good. I get the results of my bar exam in a week." Hotaru told Matt about the law firm she, Mimi, and Sora were planning to open. "Matt, what happened between you and Mimi? The last I heard, you guys were together. Now you're not?" "Right. You'd make a good detective, Hotaru. You make guesses that are always right." "So, why did you and Mimi break up?" "I'll tell you on Saturday." "If I can get a baby-sitter, where will we go?" "Starlight Tower," Matt said. Hotaru gulped. "Something wrong?" "That's where Yashi and I went on our fist date," she explained. Matt looked at her. "You don't have to be afraid of love, Hotaru." "I'm not! It's just, thinking of Yashi is painful." They walked out, and saw Joe proposing to Mimi and Mimi accepting. Matt looked downcast for some reason. I wish there was some way I could ease Matt's pain, Hotaru thought. An idea popped into her head. It was a little crazy, but then, wasn't life? Hotaru wrapped her arms around Matt's neck, pulled him close to her, and kissed him. Sora smiled. As the holder of the Crest of Love, she could see a bright future full of romance for Matt and Hotaru. Not to be out done, Tai kissed Sora. Matt and Sora kissed Hotaru and Tai back. Kari and TK grinned as they saw their older brothers with the ones they were destined to be with. They broke apart, and Matt and Hotaru told the others about their date. Hotaru looked at Sora hopefully. "Of course I'll baby-sit Umi, Hotaru. It's really no problem." "Speaking of Umi, I better go home. Her baby-sitter has to go home in a couple minutes. Nice seeing you guys again," Hotaru said. She got up and left, flowed by Matt. He walked Hotaru to her car and then kissed her goodbye. "See you on Saturday, Matt," Hotaru said before driving home. 


	4. Kindred Spirits

Hotaru paced nervously in front of the Starlight Tower Restaurant as she waited for her date. 10 minutes passed. Matt finally arrived. "Sorry I'm late, Hotaru. I got caught in a traffic jam," Matt said. Hotaru kissed him. "It's okay with me," she said, smiling at him. They walked in. "You have a reservation, I trust?" a waiter said, coming up to them. "Yeah. Ishida, party of 2," Matt responded. The waiter showed them to a table by a window. "Matt, what happened between you and Mimi?" "I don't want to talk about it right now," Matt said. After placing their orders, the conversation between Matt and Hotaru turned to Hotaru's latest novel. "I was inspired by what's going on with Tai and Sora. It's about these two friends, a boy and a girl, that get pulled into an alternate world during their summer vacation. Over time, they have adventure after adventure and the boy and girl slowly fall in love. Then, they have to go through numerous trials to find their way to each other." "Not a bad idea," Matt said. The night passed slowly. Matt and Hotaru started talking about the way their lives were going. Matt really understands me. It's like he can see what's going on in my head. The way I feel towards him, is it love? I hope so. I mean, I really like Matt, and he likes me, so maybe we can have what Tai and Sora have, Hotaru told herself as she and Matt walked out of the restaurant. "Um, do you want to go get ice cream?" Matt asked, indicating the local ice cream parlor. "Sure," Hotaru replied. Now's my chance! I'll tell him! I love you, Matt Ishida! The only problem is, I don't know if he loves me. What'll I do if he doesn't? a guy like Matt only comes once in a lifetime, Hotaru thought as they walked towards the ice cream parlor. Once they arrived, Hotaru ordered a large strawberry sundae for herself, while Matt ordered a chocolate parfait. The two of them took their orders and sat in a booth by the windows. "Matt, please tell me. What happened between you and Mimi? It's been haunting me ever since I saw the look on your face when Joe proposed to her." "Well, if you must know, Mimi left me for him about 4 months ago." "It seems we've both been hurt in love." "Yeah. It seems that way, doesn't it?" "So, we're kindred spirits, you and I. We're not so different after all," Hotaru said as she looked at Matt's face. "Hotaru, the truth is. I love you," Matt said. "It's only taken me these last few days to understand. "Matt, I love you too," Hotaru said. In half an hour, they left, running into Tai and Sora as they walked away. Tai had asked Sora out, and Sora had got Mimi to take care of Umi while she was on her date. "Will you look at that? Hotaru and Matt, a couple. Who would've thought?" "I did. I felt something between them. It was the bonds of love that were forming between them," Sora said. She and Tai continued walking. They reached a small park with numerous trees. What was carved on one tree caught Sora's attention. Y.I + H.T 4evr, it read. "Matt and Hotaru were here," Tai remarked when Sora pointed it out. "This knife," Sora said as she picked up a small switchblade knife that was at the foot of the tree. "It's Hotaru's. I've seen it before. She must've dropped it when she and Matt put their initials on the tree," Sora told Tai. "Hey, look at that," Tai said, pointing at something under what Hotaru and Matt had carved. "Kindred Spirits," Sora said. "That describes those two," Tai said as he took the knife from Sora and carved something on the tree. When he moved away, Sora caught sight of the words he had carved. "Sora and Tai forever," she read. She looked up at him. Tai pulled a small black box with a gold band on it out from one of the pockets of his jeans. He handed it to Sora. She opened it and gasped. In the box was a silver ring with a ruby surrounded by small sapphires. She looked at Tai. "Sora, will you marry me?" he asked. Sora smiled. This time, she wouldn't run away. "Of course I will, Tai. I love you, and nothing will ever change that." Sora walked into the dorm she, Hotaru, and Mimi shared. "Hi, Sora," Hotaru said, smiling at her friend. Sora grinned. "How was your date?" "Terrific! How was yours?" "Great! You aren't gonna believe this, but Matt and I are in love," Hotaru said dreamily. Sora smiled. "Congratulations, Hotaru. You're not gonna believe what Tai did." "What did he do?" "Asked me to marry him." "Oh, my God! Congratulations, Sora! This is so cool! Please tell me you said yes!" "I did. Once college is over, we're getting married." Sora and Mimi started discussing wedding plans while Hotaru went out for a walk. She looked up at the stars. "If Matt and I love each other, and we're kindred spirits, that means he knows I want to marry him, right?" she asked. Then she sighed. "There's no way Matt knows I want to marry him." "Oh, really?" Matt asked as he walked up behind her. "Hi, Matt," she said. Matt pulled a small red and blue box out from behind it. He opened the box to reveal a gold ring with an emerald surrounded by diamonds. "Even though we've only gone out once, I know there's no other girl I want to spend my life with. Will you marry me?" Matt asked. She smiled at him. "Of course I will. I love you, don't I?" she responded. "Besides," she remarked as she kissed him, "we're kindred spirits, after all." 


	5. Hotaru's Wedding Bell Blues

Hotaru sighed. Yesterday, she and her friends had graduated college, and Izzy and Mika had eloped last night, to the shock of the others. "Nothing exciting ever happens to me," she remarked to Umi out of the blue. Suddenly, the phone rang. Hotaru ran to the phone and grabbed it. "Moshi- moshi," she said, out of breath from all that running. "Moshi-moshi, Hotaru." "What's new, Sora?" "Well, I'm getting married in 2 months." "No way!" "Believe what you want to believe. The fact remains that on July 8th, I'm getting married." "That is so cool!" "Any luck with Matt yet?" "Your wedding might be in 2 months, but mine is no further then usual. I'm beginning to think Matt doesn't want to marry me." "Don't worry about it. Matt'll wise up eventually." "Is there any other reason you called, other then telling me about your wedding?" "Yeah. I was wondering if you'd be maid of honor?" "One condition." "What's that?" "Matt's the best man." "Relax. Tai's going to call him and ask him as soon as I get off the phone." Hotaru grinned. "Well, I've got to go. It's Meilin's birthday, and the whole family's having dinner at her place. Ja ne." Hotaru hung up. "C'mon, Umi! We're going to Aunt Meilin's for dinner," Hotaru said as she picked up Umi. Sora asked the wedding expert, Hotaru, for help. Hotaru was the expert because she had almost single-handedly planned Masaio and Meilin's weddings. Everything went well. July 8th finally came. Hotaru felt extremely jealous of her best friend. After all, Hotaru was the one who had wanted to get married before Mimi and Sora had. It didn't seem fair to her that she wasn't the first one to get married. Then, a week later, Mimi and Joe announced that they were getting married in 2 weeks. Once again, Hotaru was asked to be maid of honor since Sora was on her honeymoon. She agreed, but only if Matt would get to be best man. Joe and Mimi agreed to the deal. Because they had less time to get ready, there was a lot more running around, a lot more worrying, and a lot more arguments then there had been for Sora's wedding. But, everything worked out before the wedding. "Hotaru, you okay?" Mimi asked as she saw her friend crying. "Not really. I guess I'm a little jealous." "Why?" "Well, I was the first one of the Digidestined to want to get married, right?" "Yeah." "Well, for some reason, I always thought I'd be the first one to get married. Then Izzy and Mika eloped, and Sora and Tai got married, and now you and Joe. It seems like I'm never getting married!" "That's dumb. Hotaru, just relax, will you? I'm sure you and Matt will get married someday." "Yeah, I guess. But, well, sometimes I'm a little impatient." "You were always like that. You were always telling us to hurry up, so we could save the world and go home." "Hey, I had an excuse for that! I was homesick, and you know it!"  
  
"Whatever." Mimi wiped the tears off Hotaru's face. "Don't even think about giving up on Matt, Hotaru. He'll come around." "Sora said that, also. I know I shouldn't give up on Matt, but sometimes I think he's given up on me." "What's that mean?" "Well, Matt and I haven't made any plans for our wedding, and I doubt it will ever happen." "That's stupid, Hotaru. Just calm down. Relax for once." "Alright." "Hey, it's time!" Yolei said suddenly. The girls lined up behind Mimi, and walked down the aisle. When she saw Matt, Hotaru grinned at him. Matt returned the grin. The wedding dragged on and on. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the priest, Fr. Lonigan, said. Joe pulled Mimi close to him and kissed her. In that instant, Hotaru's feelings of jealousy vanished. She couldn't envy her friend's happiness. Not on her wedding day, at least. For some reason, Hotaru felt sad. She wished that next time, she would be the lucky girl who walked down the aisle to get married. But, Matt persisted in setting the date for their wedding. The wedding party then walked down the aisle in pairs of two. Hotaru grinned at Matt. "Maybe next time it'll be our turn to get married," she whispered to Matt. He grinned. "Definitely," he whispered. Hotaru grinned. "Hopefully, seeing as we haven't even set a date," she replied. "Well, we'll have to do something about that," Matt said. Hotaru smiled as they walked out of the church. She and Matt went to her place and talked about the date their wedding was going to be on. "It should be a date that means something to us," Matt said. "How about August 12th?" Hotaru asked. "The day we first met, remember? My family moved back to Highton View Terrace the day before. I met everyone except you and TK. Then, the day after I moved, Sora invited me to play soccer with the kids there so I could make some friends. That was when we met." "I remember. August 12th sounds perfect." Hotaru grinned. She rushed for the phone and called Kari. "Hi, Hotaru. What's new?" "Matt and I set a date for our wedding!" "Really?" "Yeah. August 12th." "Congratulations to you and Matt," Kari said. "Hotaru, we have to go now. Mimi and Joe's reception is in 20 minutes." "Bye, Kari. I'll see you at the reception. Don't tell anyone about this conversation." "Not even TK? He has a right to know when his brother's getting marred, after all." "Especially not TK. Matt and I are going to tell everyone at the reception." 


	6. From This Moment On

Hotaru woke up one morning and looked at her calendar. "August 12th already?" she asked. Her memory flashed back to the day she and Matt first met. "There's something important about today," she said. "But I can't remember." The words under the date on her calendar caught her eye. "Of course! Today's my wedding day! How stupid of me to forget," she said. Her memories drifted back to Mimi and Joe's wedding reception. When Mimi threw the bouquet, Hotaru caught it. "Then you're getting married next," Yolei remarked. Hotaru nodded, smiling. "Very soon, I might add," Hotaru said. "Really?" "Yeah." She cleared her throat and announced to her friends that she and Matt were getting married on August 12th. Mimi and Sora drove by to pick her up 2 hours later. Sora and Tai had gotten back from their honeymoon in China 3 days ago, and Mimi and Joe weren't leaving on theirs until Hotaru and Matt were married, because they wanted to be there for their friends. They drove to the church on Cherry Hill. Hotaru paced nervously. "I can't believe I'm getting married," she remarked to Sora. "Relax. I felt the same way before I got married. You'll be fine." Hotaru stared at her reflection. Her dress looked like the one Drew Barrymore wore in The Wedding Singer. Her hair wasn't down, which, as Mimi said, was a rare occasion. It was curled into dozens of skinny strands of hair, which looked like coils of black rope, and then pulled into a ponytail. On top of this she wore a silver tiara with a tear-shaped sapphire, a family heirloom that had formerly belonged to her mother, who had given it to her. "You look just like a princess from a fairy tale or something," Mimi remarked. Hotaru smiled and adjusted her new sapphire necklace, a gift from all 3 of her sisters. Her aunt's gift was a sapphire bracelet, which was now fastened around her wrist. Sora, Mimi, Kari, and Yolei had chipped in and bought a pair of pearl and sapphire earrings. The reason for all the sapphires was that they were Hotaru's favorite kind of jewel. Hotaru grinned. "You know, I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of best friends then you guys," Hotaru remarked. The door to the small room opened and a girl with short, blonde hair and blue eyes came in. It was Megumi, Hotaru's niece. "Hi, Aunt Hotaru," she said. "Hi, Megumi-chan. How's Masaio?" "Mom's okay." "I didn't know Megumi was coming," Yolei said. "Of course she was going to be here. Megumi's the flower girl," Hotaru said. Megumi picked up a small basket filled with rose petals. "White, yellow, pink, and red. You must really like roses, Aunt Hotaru." "They're my favorite flower. Just right for a wedding, don't you think?" "Sure. The women lined up, and Hotaru's father walked in. "Hi, Dr. Tomoe," Kari said. He smiled. "Thanks for coming, Dad," Hotaru said. Everything went smoothly. They walked down the aisle, and to the altar where Matt and Fr. Lonigan were waiting. "Dearly beloved," the priest began once Hotaru had reached the altar, "we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman in holy matrimony. If there is any one who thinks that these two should not be joined, speak now, or forever hold your peace." The wedding proceeded, and finally, it was time to exchange the rings. After that came the wedding vows. Fr. Lonigan began with, "Matt, do you take Hotaru to be your lawful wife, to love, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others so as to keep only unto her, so long as you both shall live?" "I do." Matt turned to face Hotaru. "I, Matt, take you, Hotaru, to be my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health while we both shall live." He smiled at her, and she felt her knees go weak. Fr. Lonigan also turned to face the young woman who stood before the altar. "Hotaru, do you take Matt to be your lawful husband, to love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others so as to keep only unto him so long as you both shall live?" "I do." She turned to face Matt, smiling dazzlingly at him, looking every bit like the angel she was to him. "I, Hotaru, take you, Matt, to be my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health while we both shall live." "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," Fr. Lonigan said, officially ending the ceremony. For the first time, Matt and Hotaru Ishida kissed. 2 days later, a white GMC Jimmy drove to Tamachi International Airport. Matt and Hotaru were going to catch a flight to Cancun, Mexico. Hotaru turned the radio on and 'From This Moment On' by Shania Twain played. She grinned at Matt and started singing. "I do swear that I'll always be there. I'd give anything and everything and I will always care. Through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow, For better or worse, I will love you with every beat of my heart.  
  
From this moment life has begun  
  
From this moment you are the one  
  
Right beside you is where I belong  
  
From this moment on  
  
From this moment I have been blessed  
  
I live only for your happiness  
  
And for your love I'd give my last breath  
  
From this moment on  
  
I give my hand to you with all my heart  
  
Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start  
  
You and I will never be apart  
  
My dreams came true because of you  
  
From this moment as long as I live  
  
I will love you, I promise you this  
  
There is nothing I wouldn't give  
  
From this moment on  
  
You're the reason I believe in love  
  
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above  
  
All we need is just the two of us  
  
My dreams came true because of you  
  
From this moment as long as I live  
  
I will love you, I promise you this  
  
From this moment  
  
I will love you as long as I live  
  
From this moment on." 


End file.
